Face mask lens attaching means



June 9, 1964 v. F. GONGOLL FACE MASK LENS ATTACHING MEANS Filed May 22, 1961 u mw mm m mF N 0 N m v gATTORNE Y United States Patent 3,135,963 FACE MASK LENS ATTACHING MEANS Vernon F. Gongoll, Shillington, Pa., assignor to The Electric Storage Battery Company, Philadelphia, Pa. Filed May 22, 1961, Ser. No. 111,591 2 Claims. (Cl. 29)

This invention relates to a face mask for covering the eyes, nose and mouth of the wearer, such as used in gas masks, but is also applicable to masks for covering just the eyes, or the eyes and nose of the wearer.

In the past, face masks have been used with a single lens covering a large portion of the front area thereof, which lens has been attached by detachable securing means. However, such detachable securing means has been of complicated construction, involving specially made, intricate parts which not only have added to the cost of manufacture, but which posed difficulties to the Workman in carrying out the proper method for unfastening the securing means, replacement of a broken or scratched lens with a new one, and finally refastening the securing means. This has generally been a laborious and time consuming task requiring not only expertise, but the use of special tools in some instances.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel lens attaching means for face masks which is devoid of the above named disadvantages and which comprises relatively simple and inexpensive parts which can be detached or attached easily and quickly by the ordinary workman by the use of only a screw driver.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lens attaching means for face masks that will insure a gastight seal.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front, elevational view of a face mask of the type used for gas masks and including lens attaching means embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the mask shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a side portion of the lens attaching rims 6 and 9 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken through one of the rivet-nut combinations shown in FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modified construction of the bead 1a so as to completely surround the rivet-nut combination.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, numeral 1 denotes a gas mask type of face piece of rubber or other suitable flexible material, having integrally molded thereon a seat 2 for supporting an exhalation valve (not shown) and a tube 3 to which is attached a canister (not shown) in a well known manner for filtering inhaled air before it enters the mask. The mask is held onto the head of the wearer by means of head straps 4. The construction described so far is well known in the art.

The lens attaching means embodying the present invention comprises an integral bead 1a integrally molded on the mask 1 and defining the perimeter of the single lens 5 of safety glass or transparent plastic material. As shown more clearly in FIG. 4, the integral bead 1a has an internal, central groove into which the perirnetrical edge of lens 5 is fitted. Onto opposite sides of the bead 1a there are held or clamped, a pair of lens retaining, metal rims or frames 6 and 9, arranged in spaced parallel relationship. Rim 9 is provided, on opposite sides, with a pair of integral tongues 10, such as that shown in 3,135,963 Patented June 9, 1964 FIG. 3, which extend between projections 11 formed in the outer edge of rim 6, for locking together the rims 6 and 9 in properrelationship.

Rigidly attached to rim 9, in spaced relationship along the perimeter thereof, are a plurality of rivet-nut combination elements 8, each comprising, at one end, a rivet portion for rigidly holding the element to rim 9, and, at the other end thereof, an internally threaded well portion into which the threads of a machine screw 7 are screw threaded so that upon tightening of the screw 7, by turning thereof by means of an ordinary screw driver, rims 6 and 9 are forced to move toward each other and thereby compress bead 1a, so as to tightly grip the perimetrical edge of bead 1a to form a gas-tight seal with lens 5 until, finally, the rim 6 is stopped from further movement by abutting the mouth portion of the threaded well. This provides'a very rigid, but yieldable, connection between rims 6 and 9 and the bead 1a.

In some instances, the rivet-nut elements 8 may be entirely omitted and the threaded shank of machine screw 7 may be screwed directly into an internally threaded hole portion of rim 9, however, this has the outstanding disadvantage that it is often difiicult to insert screw 7, particularly if long, into such threaded hole of rim 9.

As will appear from FIG. 2, the rivet-nut elements 8 are visible from the top of the mask (also from the sides and bottom). In order to hide them completely from view, the modification shown in FIG. 5 may be employed wherein the parts are identical to those in FIG. 4, corresponding parts bearing the same numerals which are primed, the only difference being the radially outwardly extension of bead 1a so as to completely enclose the rivetnuts 8. Of course, spaced holes would have to be molded in the bead 1a to accommodate elements 8'. In some instances, instead of making the outer edge thereof integrally continuous, a slit may be provided in the plane of FIG. 5, extending from the rivet-nut element 8' radially outwardly to enable slipping of rims 6 and 9' onto bead 1a merely by moving it through such slits, downwardly between the rims, as viewed in FIG. 5.

Although screws 7 are shown with single kerfs, they may each have, instead, a pair of intersecting kerfs at right angles, as in the well known Phillips Head type screw. In either event, the only tool needed by the operator, is an ordinary screw driver for unscrewing the various screws 7 to remove rim 6 and thereby obtain access to enable removal of the lens 5, when broken or scratched, and replacement thereof by a new lens, after which rim 6 is again held by rim 9 by screwing the screws 7 into the threads of the well portions of elements 8.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an efficient lens attaching means for face masks, which attaching means involves relatively simple and cheaply manufactured parts which are held together by ordinary screws which may be turned by means of an ordinary screw driver, furthermore, I have provided a lens attaching means which insures a gas-tight seal between the lens and the mask regardless of how many times the lens is removed and replaced.

While I have illustrated and described a single specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of my in invention and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A face mask assembly, comprising a face mask having a lens opening, a bead integrally formed on said mask and defining said opening, a groove formed in the opening-defining surface of said bead, a lens having a perimetrical portion closely fitted in said groove, a pair of lens retaining rims disposed on opposite edges of said bead in spaced, parallel relationship with each other and with said lens, a plurality of uniformly spaced, registering holes formed in said rims throughout their entire perimeters, a plurality of machine screws extending through said holes of one of said rims, a plurality of rivet elements firmly secured within said holes of the other of said rims, said rivet elements each including an internally threaded shank portion of equal length projecting towards the registering hole of the other rim, into which threaded shank portion one of said machine screws is threaded, said shank portion being of smaller length than the width of said bead and larger in diameter than the holes in the rims so that its free end will serve as a limit stop to limit the amount of compression of said bead as a consequence of tightening of said machine screws and to References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,303,155 Berge Nov. 24, 1942 2,648,843 Hirschmann Aug. 18, 1953 2,952,853 Benzel Sept. 20, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 637,413 Great Britain May 17, 1950 

1. A FACE MASK ASSEMBLY, COMPRISING A FACE MASK HAVING A LENS OPENING, A BEAD INTEGRALLY FORMED ON SAID MASK AND DEFINING SAID OPENING, A GROOVE FORMED IN THE OPENING-DEFINING SURFACE OF SAID BEAD, A LENS HAVING A PERIMETRICAL PORTION CLOSELY FITTED IN SAID GROOVE, A PAIR OF LENS RETAINING RIMS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID BEAD IN SPACED, PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID LENS, A PLURALITY UNIFORMALY SPACED, REGISTERING HOLES FORMED IN SAID RIMS THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE PERIMETERS, A PLURALITY OF MACHINE SCREWS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLES OF ONE OF SAID RIMS, A PLURALITY OF RIVET ELEMENTS FIRMLY SECURED WITHIN SAID HOLES OF THE OTHER OF SAID RIMS, SAID RIVET ELEMENTS EACH INCLUDING AN INTERNALLY THREADED SHANK PORTION OF EQUAL LENGTH PROJECTING TOWARDS THE REGISTERING HOLE OF THE OTHER RIM, INTO WHICH THREADED SHANK PORTION ONE OF SAID MACHINE SCREWS IS THREADED, SAID SHANK PORTION BEING OF SMALLER LENGTH THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID BEAD AND LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN THE HOLES IN THE RIMS SO THAT ITS FREE END WILL SERVE AS A LIMIT STOP TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF COMPRESSION OF SAID BEAD AS A CONSEQUENCE OF TIGHTENING OF SAID MACHINE SCREWS AND TO MAINTAIN UNIFORM SPACING BETWEEN SAID RIMS THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE PERIMETERS, AND THEREBY LIMIT THE COMPRESSIVE FORCE EXERTED BY SAID BEAD ON SAID PERIMETRICAL PORTION OF SAID LENS. 